One last chance for sprinters at UAE Tour: Who is under pressure?

Tim Merlier and Olav Kooij sitting pretty after stage success, but at least 15 other sprinters desperate to win, including Mark Cavendish, Sam Welsford and Kaden Groves

22:59, Friday 23rd February 2024

George Poole

Junior Writer

Share

The sprints in the UAE Tour are some of the most difficult of the season to win

The UAE Tour is instantly recognisable when broadcast around the world: an excess of skyscrapers dot the horizon, a desert landscape banks the roadside and a flotilla of the world's best sprinters go head-to-head on a near-daily basis.

"I think we always say this is the World Championships of sprinters," Soudal Quick-Step sports director Geert Van Bondt told GCN at the start of stage 4.

"I think all the sprinters are here, maybe only Caleb Ewan and Jasper Philipsen are missing, but for the rest, it is the crème de la crème that are always here."

Butting heads on four out of the seven stages, the fast men - known for their cavalier spirit, daredevil attitude and lightning-fast accelerations - battle it out to pick up the first meaningful victories of their season. As such, the startlist is bursting at the seams with the world's best, all of whom are desperate for success, but few of which leave the Middle East feeling satisfied.

As for this year's edition, only two of these riders have left their indelible mark in the results sheets: Tim Merlier of Soudal Quick-Step and Olav Kooij of Visma-Lease a Bike. The former came out on top in the first two contests, before Kooij got himself on the scoresheet on Friday afternoon.

For those left in the shadow of a clean pair of heels, Saturday's stage takes on greater importance, as they look to return to Europe with something to show for their efforts.

Might one of these sprinters prevent Merlier or Kooij on stage 6?

By our count, 15 frontline sprinters are yet to enjoy the sweet taste of success, but who is feeling the pressure and who is trending in the right direction? We take a look.

Strong teams who deserve a worthy result

For some at the UAE Tour, each sprint is near enough a lone battle to infiltrate the gaggle of teams insistent on bending the peloton to their will. The mind immediately turns to Sam Bennett (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale), who has the plucky spirit of Gianluca Pollefriet by his side but is reliant on the professional debutant and without the riders who will soon prove to be his faithful companions.

Elsewhere, there are those who hunt in packs and have the benefit of a strong unit to pilot them in the final few kilometres. For these riders, the near-misses sting that little bit more, as they share the disappointment felt by their teammates in seeing hard efforts go unrewarded.

Clearly earmarked by all involved as a crucial part of the eventual sprint, a right-hand bend with 750m to go on stage 4 saw an armada of Alpecin-Deceuninck riders flock to the front of the race, as they looked to position Kaden Groves. It was a mightily impressive display of strength and one that had the rest of the peloton put on notice, but in the end, the Australian could only muster 18th.

Once more, Alpecin-Deceuninck guided Groves into the final kilometre the following day, but on stage 5, the 25-year-old opened up his sprint too soon, was buffeted by the headwind and surrendered to ninth place.

This analysis must be prefaced with the understanding that the UAE Tour is not the be-all and end-all for a rider's season, but Groves will certainly want to deliver at least a top five for his teammates on Saturday.

As the final 10km loom on the horizon, teams soon start to organise into well-drilled trains at the UAE Tour

Similarly, Phil Bauhaus has regularly been brought to the front by his Bahrain Victorious ensemble, and whilst his ninth, eighth and sixth place finishes are about on par for his pedigree amongst such a strong field, he too can hope for more.

Talking of those with teams capable of piercing a hole in the wind, Tudor Pro Cycling's Arvid de Kleijn could not be more complimentary of his squad following the stage 5 finish into Dubai Harbour. Chatting with GCN beyond the finish, the Dutchman revealed that he had recovered from a standing start to second place in a matter of minutes, the praise for which could be handed to his teammates.

Racking up a pair of second-place finishes in the first two sprint days, however, De Kleijn is clearly a man firing on all cylinders, and an eye should most certainly be kept on him throughout Saturday's finale.

Big names without a podium finish

From a ProConti rider to those who have made a name for themselves as the biggest talents in the world, Saturday's sprint finish will also be a moment of reckoning for some riders who were expected to perform better than they have so far.

Dylan Groenwegan (Jayco AlUla), Fabio Jakobsen (dsm-firmenich PostNL) and Fernando Gaviria (Movistar) have yet to trouble the podium places, despite their past reputation, whilst Astana Qazaqstan's Mark Cavendish first showed himself on stage 5, before fading in the face of a headwind.

All four of these men can deliver in the big moments and will be expected to do so as the season draws on. But can they get an early notch on their belt in a race seen by many as the showdown of the world's elites?

Those on the fringe and our rider to watch

Whether it be Jakobsen showing his face in Dubai Harbour, Gaviria opening his sprint too early in trademark fashion or Cavendish featuring at the forefront on stage 5, some sprinters have been able to generate attention regardless of results. But a few will shortly leave the race having failed to make an impression.

Elia Viviani was strongly backed by his Ineos Grenadiers team ahead of the race - "there’s no doubt about his ability and we have confidence in him," Cookson told GCN - but he has managed no higher than 26th to date. As for Arne Marit (Intermarché-Wanty) and Pascal Ackermann (Israel-Premier Tech), both riders have been as equally anonymous so far.

There are those on the fringe, riders who have oftentimes mixed it at the front but so far struggled to challenge for the biggest prize, such as Sebastián Molano (UAE Team Emirates), Jakub Mareczko (Corratec-Vini Fantini) and Simone Consonni (Lidl-Trek), and there is the man we are tipping for stage glory at the final opportunity - Sam Welsford (Bora-Hansgrohe).

The Australian crashed ahead of the race and gave an update on his condition to GCN shortly after the conclusion of stage 5.

"Healing up pretty quick, but [I] definitely feel like I'm getting better as the race goes on, especially over the last couple of days."

"My body is starting to recover a bit better and not work on healing as much! Bit of bark off," said an upbeat Welsford of his skin grazes, "but you live and die by the sword, so you've got to keep going."

View post on X

The 28-year-old rode to a race-best of third place on Friday, having produced a Strava power file that had social media abuzz, and with high spirits clear to see in the Bora-Hansgrohe camp at roadside, it feels like only a matter of time until Welsford returns to winning ways.

He is our pick for stage 6. Let us know yours in the comments!

For all the important information about the 2024 UAE Tour, be sure to check out our dedicated race hub for our full preview, the race startlist and much more.